Dear authors of PODC 2004

As you know, we made a large effort to fit as many good papers as
possible into PODC 2004.  This means that we *must* save time in the
schedule.  One method we shall employ to save time is to NOT replace
the presentation computer during a session.  Such a replacement often
consumes precious minutes.  If we lose just two minutes per regular
paper, or BA, this would sum up to the time for 30 Brief
Announcements, or of 6 regular papers!

I apologize for any inconvenience this saving of time may cause.
However, it is necessary.

There are TWO ways you can employ to have your files loaded into the
computer that PODC will use for the presentation (courtesy of the
local chair and his university).  I recommend that you use BOTH
methods.  That way, if for any reason you face a difficulty to transfer
your file when you are in Newfoundland, you already sent your file (or
previous version) to the local chair.  On the other hand, if you only
employ method 2 below (that is, after PODC has started), it is YOUR
responsibility to find the opportunity to give the file to your
session chair in time.

In addition to projecting the presentations from a computer, it will
also be possible to project hard copy transparencies, since we shall
also have an (overhead) transparencies projector.  If you want to be
really on the safe side, it is recommended that you also print your
presentation on such transparencies.

In more detail, the two methods for getting your slides loaded onto
the presentation computer are the following:

(1) The first method is to mail your file to the local chair at

    podcmun@cs.mun.ca

    You need to do that well ahead of the conference, preferably no
    later than a week in advance.  That way, the local arrangements
    chair and his people will TRY to check that your presentation does
    work on their computer.  However, this will necessarily be a
    rather superficial check, so:

    Please name your file by its type (either regular or BA) and the
    submission number.  For example, if your paper is a regular paper,
    and the submission (back in February) was 34, please name your
    file R34.ppt.  If it is a brief announcement, and its submission
    number was 12, then please name your file B12.ppt (if it is power
    point).

    If you are using a special font, please send font as an
    attachment, and write : Font: name-of-font in the subject line.

(2) The second method is to give the file to the chair-person of your
    session well ahead of your session.

    To use this method, we suggest that you bring a disk-on-key (a USB
    memory device), and/or a CD.  If you are not sure your device is
    standard, it makes sense to either have its driver available
    (e.g., on the net), or bring the presentation also on a CD, or
    ALSO on a floppy (I am not sure we shall have a floppy).

    Please name your file according to the same convention as in
    method 1.  If you also used method 1, please add "method2" to the
    name, so that the session chair knows this is a later file.

    It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to transfer the file to the session
    chair and to the PODC presentation PC well ahead of your session.

We hope we shall have all the files on time.  If, for any reason, a
presentation will not be on the presentation PC on time, we shall have
to make sure that the NEXT presentation will not suffer as a
result.  Since it may take a few minutes to switch the presentation
computer from the computer of an author, back to the PODC computer, we
shall need to shorten a presentation (that is not loaded in advance on
the PODC presentation computer) by 3 minutes.  I personally apologize
for this in advance.  I hope that you understand it is done only out
of necessity.

PRESENTATION FORMAT
====================

If you do not intend to use a file, please let the local chair and the
program chair know ASAP.

As for presentation format, the current software we have is Windows
XP, and Power Point XP.  In addition, we have Acrobat reader (for
PDF).  If we manage to obtain additional software, we shall let you
know ASAP (please look again at this page).

If you are using another version of Power Point, we suggest that you
check that your presentation runs properly on this version.  It makes
also sense to save a copy of your presentation on this version of
Power Point.  In any case, it is a good idea to also create a PDF file
(see advice written by Jaap-Henk).  If there is any problem with your
Power Point, you will still be able to use the PDF.  You may also be
able to use HTML (if you save as HTML)--but please check first that
the results are satisfactory.  Finally, I suggest that you save your
file also as PPS.

If you are not going to use Power Point, I suggest that you consider
using StarOffice (available also on Linux, for example, and on
Windows).  The resulting files can be presented by Power Point (but I
suggest that you check in advance how well it is presented).  In
addition, Star Office can save directly as PDF.  StarOffice is
available to download for free for academic and research purposes.

Even if you are using Power Point.  If you use any special file on
plug-ins, please send it to the local chair too, well in advance, and
turn his attention to this fact.

If you still cannot deal with these options, and really need something
special, can you please let the program chair and the local
arrangement chair know ASAP?  We shall try to see what we can do.

Thank you for your patience.  See you in Newfoundland!

Shay